I used to put out a lot of seeds in the backyard for the local birds and squirrels, mainly to entertain our two cats who love to sit at the windows. The squirrels have even learned that the cats can't get them and have gotten so bold as to sit on the garage roof (the corner sticks out about 1 1/2 feet from one of the windows) and wave their tails and taunt the cats.

Now I feel like a jerk for wanting to chase them away, because someone has been sampling my new strawberries. Apart from building a wire or net cage to go over the plants, is there anything I can put around the plant to keep them away? I don't mind if they're in the garden and would even like to continue to encourage their visits, I just don't want them using my new planters as a salad bar.

Has anyone had any success with garlic? That seems to be the only non-fox urine suggestion I can find.

Be careful with peppers, if it gets on the squirrels' fur, and then, via grooming, into their eyes or mucous membranes, it will very painful for them (I can attest to this, having rubbed my eyes after dealing with peppers in the kitchen). I've seen what animals can do to themselves when trying to rid themselves of an irritant, and it's not pretty.

_________________Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” ~Marcus Aurelius

The one time I grew corn (first and last!) the squirrels were all over it. I read that if they have ample food, they won't go after the garden, so I got a squirrel feeder and fed them and they were happy and stayed off of my corn -- until it was just almost ripe. Then they decimated the entire crop in record time. :|